Till I Collapse
by aschowin
Summary: A night off leads Harry to drinks, fun, and reflection. Being updated to follow cannon through HBP.
1. Gray Street

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Harry Potter or any characters or places in this story, they belong to JK Rowling. I am making no money from this story.

Chapter 1 Gray Street

Another year of darkness had passed by for the wizarding world. What little light there was on the dark street seemed to be dimmed by the troubled times. Only a gray shade of what it should be.

A young man wandered silently down the walk, his hands shoved into his pockets, and his head hung low. He was alone, his was pace slow and rhythmic. The shadows of night played against his body as he moved, tracing dark features over his grim face. His raven hair was unkempt and mirrored the surrounding gloom and the shadows on his face. The only contrast to the dark was the vivid green that shone in his eyes.

Though he was young, Harry Potter had recently come of age, and was now an adult. He was a powerful wizard, who held many admirable traits. Yet this had not spared him from a life riddled with tragedy. Still he held a spirit within him that would not be conquered, perhaps only restrained by the events of his life. Now Harry had a purpose though, and it was to that end that his mind was fixed. Dumbledore had shown him this path. He wondered whether Dumbledore had known he would die. Perhaps that was the reason that he had taken Harry to retrieve the locket, to prepare him for what he would have to do after Dumbledore was gone. He had already tracked down the locket, and with the help of Ron and Hermione he was close to finding another. Tomorrow they would be searching an orphanage here in London for Hufflepuff's cup. Dumbledore had prepared him well it seemed.

It was with these thoughts that Harry wandered through muggle London. His late night walks had become a frequent event. For many years Harry had dreamed of leaving his family and the muggle world behind, but the growing pressure within his own world often grew to be too much. So many people had preconceived ideas of who he was, expected him to be "The Chosen One" who would save them from Voldemort, never realizing that he was only a young man who had been chased by sorrow since before he could remember. A person who had never asked for this life. True he was powerful, but that can only take you so far before the only thing left is the naked soul.

Still, not everything in his life was hopeless. He had his friends, indeed he had the best friends anyone could wish for. They were more like his family, something Harry deeply appreciated. In fact Harry had long ago come to the conclusion that they were his strength, the thing that kept him going. After so much pain and loss it would be easy for anyone to give up. The thing of it was that Harry, who had experienced these things had grown to cherish what he did have more than most anyone could understand. After all, without sorrow there can be no joy.

Turning down another street Harry continued through the dense night. Sounds echoed distantly telling tales of moving cars and late night travelers, but these noises too seemed stifled by the gray gloom of a troubled world. Even Harry's footsteps were muffled in the puddles of darkness. But this did not trouble him. It was easy to find peace in this silence, perhaps not comfort, but peace. A shroud that blocked out his troubles even if only for a few bitter moments. All to soon it ended. Two resounding cracks disturbed the melodic quiet of this late night stroll.

Turning with great speed Harry had drawn his wand and disarmed his unknown foes. Cautiously he moved toward the assailants bearing down upon them with his wand. Looking over the dark cloaks at the faces of the two young men Harry released the tension with a breath of relief. "Fred, George? Sorry about that. What are you doing here?" Harry said as he returned his wand to it's hiding place beneath his cloak.

"Well how do you like that? He attacks us and then asks what _we're _doing here," Fred stated as he rose to his feet.

"Honestly, it's like he hasn't got any proper manners at all," George responded indignantly while Fred pulled him to his feet.

"You would think he didn't like us or something the way he behaves," Fred continued.

"I am hardly going to take advice from you two on conduct, besides I already apologized. Anyway you did sneak up on me, should have learned your lesson from the last time you tried that," Harry said with a wry smile creeping across his face.

George and Fred nodded their heads in agreement, "True enough mate," George added, "Actually we were looking for you." The thick air had finally become too full and began to spill over in the gray haze of night. A few patters of rain tapped the ground around the three friends and began to beat against their cloaks.

Holding his hands out to let a few drops splash against his palm, Fred continued, "Yes indeed Harry old boy, we were looking for you. We're heading over to the Leaky Cauldron this evening…"

George filled in his brothers thought, "And we were wondering if you might want to join us for a bit."

Harry looked pensively at the twin redheads in front of him. He was well aware of the fact that this may well be a thorough prank of theirs and they were setting him up, but it had been some time since Harry had actually allowed himself any sort of pleasure. Not since Bill and Fluer's wedding, and that wasn't something he was allowing himself to think about. Because that made him remember one of the few enjoyable parts of his life over the last year, and that only added to his sorrow. So maybe he deserved a night out, even if it was only so he could be the brunt of a joke the twins were planning, at least it would be funny. _As long as it doesn't get too out of hand._

"Alright then, I think I'll tag along. Is anyone else coming along? Hang on, how did you know where to find me? I'm sure no one is following me, so how did you know?" Harry asked, fixing them with a suspicious look.

Fred and George looked at each other as if they were holding a conversation without speaking. They nodded their heads in agreement and turned back to Harry.

"Well it's like this Harry," started Fred.

"Don't be angry, as it wasn't our idea, but," George continued.

With an exasperated sigh, Fred looked Harry dead in the eyes, "The watch we gave you for your birthday, it's charmed."

"Mum said that it might be a good idea if there were someway to keep track of you, and Dad agreed," George put in before Harry's anger could rise.

Fred continued to explain what had happened, "The whole thing was Ginny's idea actually. She thought that you might be in for more trouble and you know her. Anyway she found the charm, and told us about it, and that you hadn't replaced your watch from the Triwizard Tournament. So we took care of the rest. We should have told you about it though, sorry mate."

Harry's mouth was drawn tight and his brow was furrowed with the thought of being lied to again, but the mention of Ginny quelled his anger quickly and he allowed himself to cool off. "It's alright. I wish someone had told me, but it is a great idea. Anyway I'm up for a bit of fun, why don't we get going."

As the rainfall increased the three young men looked around to be sure no one was watching and disapparated with three small pops.


	2. Warming Up

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Harry Potter or any characters or places in this story, they belong to JK Rowling. I am making no money from this story.

Chapter 2 Warming Up

He closed his eyes inhaling deeply the rich scent of sweet smoke and cooking. Already his head felt clouded, his cares diminished in the hospitality of this place. An amber glow from the fire filled the room casting it in a warm relief. Harry nodded his head in greeting to Tom the barkeeper as he and the twins entered the wizard establishment. Tom had a good deal of patrons tonight, but not so much that people were tripping over one another. The buzz of conversations from the other occupants mingled with the music that seemed to come from nowhere. There were a few faces he knew scattered in comfortable groups each holding their own private conversations with concerns temporarily put aside. Harry followed George to a table while Fred went to get the drinks. They sat near the fire not far from the bar. Harry spotted Lee Jordan sitting at another table with a few other former students that Harry recognized but didn't really know. He waved to them as he removed his cloak and took a seat.

"Cheers Harry," said Fred when he returned with three pints of Honey Mead.

"Thanks Fred. So how is the shop doing?" Harry asked after his first sip of the cool liquid. He glanced around the room with a steady eye, just to be sure he could let himself relax. It was an odd habit, and he already felt more at ease than he had been earlier tonight, but with his life he could never be too cautious. The Leaky Cauldron had become a bit of a second refuge for his friends over the summer, which is probably the only reason he agreed to come in the first place. But whenever they needed time away from their task, or Harry was in a foul mood, they could escape to the relative safety here. Ron and Hermione came in occasionally. They had been dating for some time now, and had been helping him with his search which had started the day after the wedding. When they needed to get out they would come down to the pub, or go visit the shops at Diagon Alley. Harry rarely went with them, and when he did, he would usually leave early to go on one of his walks.

"S'alright, we've got a few new products we're introducing, and school will be starting soon, so business is picking up," George supplied in response.

"Anyway," Fred started, picking up where his brother left off, "with the mail orders and all the defense products we generally have a steady flow."

"And it's all thanks to you mate," finished George with a wink.

They stared around for a few minutes each taking large mouthfuls of their drinks, continuing with small talk about the joke shop. Soon enough Lee made his way over to their table to join them wearing a broad grin. Since graduating he had been doing fairly well for himself, working as commentator and Public Relations Assistant for the Wimbourne Wasps. In his spare time he helped out at the joke shop.

"Evening gent's. How are we doing tonight? Ready for another round yet?" At this Lee waved to Tom for more drinks before downing the rest of his own. Harry followed his example. "I've got one for you, A guy walks into a bar."

"And the second guy ducks," Fred finished for him lamely.

"We know Lee, it's the third time this week you've told that one," George said as he rolled his eyes. Tom arrived with a fresh pitcher and proceeded to refill their glasses. "Say Tom would it be a trouble to get a few shot's of Ogden's when you get a chance? How 'bout you Harry, you want one?" Harry shrugged his shoulders in response. "Right then four shots if you could."

"Right you are Fred, or is it George? Honestly you boys could fool the devil if you had a mind to," Tom said in a thick London accent, as he limped away to the bar. Tom returned a moment later with five glasses and passed them around, keeping one for himself. "This round's on me, for my favorite customers. Say did I hear you had a joke? I wouldn't mind a good chuckle."

Lee chortled as he shook his head. "Alright, let's hear one then," he said challengingly.

George and Fred looked at each other and shared sinful smiles. "Right, ok," Fred began, "This muggle bloke wakes up on a Sunday Morning,"

"He made his way down to the kitchen and looked out his window into the back yard," George filled in. They continued in a confusing back and forth manner that only they could manage.

"It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining,"

"Birds were singing,"

"Not a cloud in the sky."

"Then he looks at the tree in his yard, only to see…."

"A gorilla sitting on one of the branches. This great, massive Gorilla,"

"Right there in his tree, and he panics,"

"He thinks 'how the bloody hell am I going to get rid of that thing' and he's going barmy now."

"So he decides to call in an exterminator."

"He gets a hold of this other bloke who says he'll be right over."

"So half an hour later the guy shows up in a van and gets out,"

"He's got a ladder, a bat, a bull dog, and a shotgun," Fred said as he tried to stifle a laugh.

George picked it up from there, "So the house owner says 'thanks mate, so what's your plan' looking slightly confused at the equipment."

"And the exterminator goes 'Well I'm gonna climb up the tree with this ladder',"

"And knock that gorilla out of the tree with the bat,"

"And this dog is trained to bite that gorilla's balls so hard he'll be paralyzed with pain," Now both twins were chuckling heartily.

"So the other guy goes 'well that's great, but what's the gun for?',"

"And the exterminator says 'well if anything should happen'," The twins were now shaking with glee.

"And I get knocked out of the tree,"

"**You shoot that dog!**" They finished together.

Lee started howling with laughter, while Tom was doubled over and shaking with glee. Fred and George were slapping the table trying to contain themselves, earning a few stares from the other patrons. Harry's eyes filled with tears he was laughing so hard. He took another gulp of his drink as he steadied himself.

Lee managed to calm a bit and shook his head, "Alright that was a lot better than mine. Here's to you." He lifted his shot to them and downed the dark red liquid. Harry, Tom, and the twins followed suit. A deep blush crept over their faces, which were already crimson from their laughter. Ogden's Old Fire Whiskey was a notoriously strong liquor, known to burn the insides of anyone who swallowed it. It really was like liquid fire. Harry grinned at the warm feeling that permeated from his stomach to his head. He took a sip of mead to help cool the burning inside of him. All around the candles on the walls shined brightly, and people carried on with their own conversations. His mood from earlier had all but disappeared in the company of friends.

"That was a good one boys. Honestly," Tom said, wiping his brow with a handkerchief, as he righted himself. "Well, back to work for me. We'll talk more later, maybe I can tell you the one about the vampire and the kneazle." He chuckled some more as he turned to go back to the bar.

They four young men settled a bit and turned the conversation back to all the goings on of the wizarding world. Talk of Voldemort and Death Eaters was left out, as they had all been touched by the dark times outside the doors of The Leaky Cauldron. Soon enough they would have to face more of it, as attacks were an almost daily event. For now they would pretend to forget and allow themselves a bit of leisure.

A short time later, Harry stood to go the bar for another round of shots, as Lee started to tell the twins about his friends at the other table. He paid Tom for the drinks and, turning around with the full glasses he nearly dropped them as a smiling Hermione launched into him with a hug. Ron was shaking his head with a grin of his own.

"Hey guys what are you doing here?" Harry asked as he balanced the glasses. "Tom can I get another mug, two more shots, and a butterbeer as well?" he said to the barkeeper who quickly supplied the requested items. Harry paid for the armload of drinks and attempted to carry them all back to the table.

"Us mate? What about you? We figured you were out for another walk. Thanks for the drinks by the way. Here, let me help you with those," Ron said as he lifted a few of the drinks from Harry's arms.

"A little thirsty Harry?" Hermione giggled.

"What? Oh yeah, but Fred, George and Lee are here as well. Come on we're sitting over near the fire. Actually Ron, I was out for a walk until your brothers tracked me down," Harry replied. "They sort of dragged me along with them. By the way, did you two know about my watch?" He asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance before she answered, "Well, yes we did. But we figured you would get angry if you knew about it, and it really is a good idea, to help keep you safe. Sorry Harry, please don't be mad," Hermione finished pleadingly as they sat down at the table.

"Hey there _lovebirds_! Mad about what?" asked George while Fred helped pass out the drinks.

"Well nothing really, Just asked them about my watch is all. And it is a really good idea, I just wish it hadn't been kept a secret from me is all. Honestly, I'm not angry about it just, well you know. I mean if Voldemort ever learned about it…." Harry finished with a sigh.


	3. To Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Harry Potter or any characters or places in this story, they belong to JK Rowling. I am making no money from this story.

Chapter 3 To Friends

After a few more drinks and jokes the twins went with Lee to meet his friends at the next table. Harry watched his two best friends smiling at each other as he took a swallow of his mead. He sat facing the bar, with the fireplace directly behind him. The light from the fire flickered and danced across the faces of the two people who had always been there for him. Through pain and fear, and his bad moods, they had remained with him. He knew he would not be where he was without them. The faith they placed in Harry, the hope that they had for the world is what made him believe that everything would turn out ok. It kept him in the fight. The happiness they shared seemed to lessen his own burdens, allowed him to imagine that maybe he would have it too someday. Perhaps he could return to _her_, but not yet. In some ways their lives resembled a fairy tale. An odd thought really, but it was true.

As Hermione whispered something to Ron, Harry sank deeper into his thoughts. Stories like theirs always ended well. The proverbial fairy tale ending. Most of the time it held some moral, something that gave the story a meaning, other than just a pleasant idea. He smiled at the thought of what the moral of their story would be. But it was a dark smile, as it begged the question of what the lesson of his own tale was, and what kind of ending it would have.

With his back to the fire his face was somewhat hidden from the light. Shadows followed him wherever he went these days. Often Harry wished that he could just hide away in the darkness, to let it surround him like a veil. _A veil._ He thought morosely. Since that night he had pushed himself on, choosing to face life, rather than dwell on death, even after the death of Dumbledore. It was not an easy task, the harder he struggled to stay afloat, the more life seemed to push him down. Still he never gave up, accepting the misfortune of his past but using it as his power.

Harry closed his eyes wondering how long it would be till he was feeling her comfort? When would it be over? How much longer he would have to fight, could he keep fighting?

"Is everything alright Harry?" Hermione's voice penetrated his thoughts.

"Yeah. I'm going for another shot, do either of you need anything?" He replied as he rose from his seat and went to the bar, not really listening for their reply. Ron and Hermione shared an anxious glance.

Ron spoke first as they turned their eyes on Harry's retreating back. "He's been through too much already. I hardly know what to say to help him anymore. Even when we're with him he seems to be alone."

"That's because he is alone Ron. No matter how much support we give him, in the end he will have to face this by himself, and he knows it," Hermione spoke softly.

Ron shook his head vehemently. "NO, I won't let him do it. Not by himself. He's stood for so long on his own, he needs us to lean on. No matter what, I'm going to be with him at the end. For good or bad, it's always been the three of us, and I won't allow that to change."

"Don't you get it, he's worried that we _will _be there, that he'll lose us too. Harry is strong, but he doesn't have much left to hold onto. Imagine what it would do to him if he lost either of us." Hermione paused for a moment. The cheery lights of the Leaky Cauldron couldn't ward off these dark thoughts. "I'm sure he doesn't want us to see him fail either, not that I think he will," She raised her hand quickly to suppress Ron's reaction. "I know he needs us too. I'm just saying that when we go with him, and we will, he won't like it. We need to recognize that now, so it won't come as a surprise when it happens."

"But Hermione, how much more can he take, especially alone? He just suffers too much, and what's worse is half of it is brought on by himself. I understand that it's his responsibility now, but he is already grieving for friends and family, the one he never new, and then members of the order. You've seen the wall in his room though, he blames himself for each and every attack that happens, every death, all those clippings from the Prophet. It's not healthy is all, and I know I can't help him."

"You're right Ron, but think about it, he's seen all those tortures, every killing. The Occlumency doesn't help, his scar is too powerful, too connected. With Dumbledore gone he doesn't have someone to catch him if he falls. And that's not even to mention he misses Ginny."

Ron nodded, "Yeah, not that he'd say anything about it…."

The rest of their conversation was cut short, as Harry and the twins returned to the table. Fred and George were sporting suspicious grins when they took their seats, and Harry handed out another round of drinks. He had changed from a moment before, his eyes were alight, and he was smiling.

"I think a toast is in order. Umm, actually I don't really know what we should drink to, any ideas?" Harry said, almost giggling. Ron stared at his best friend dubiously, wondering at the sudden change. Hermione however had her eyes locked on George and Fred, who were cagily avoiding her glare. She knew something was up, and that they were responsible.

Fred spoke up quickly trying draw her focus away from whatever she was thinking, "Maybe we can drink to that fine old fellow who has given us so much inspiration,"

"A man whose example has given us hope for the future, here's to Won Won!" George finished.

A few jeers followed their toast. "Seriously guys, that was uncalled for." Ron retorted mockingly. He then raised his glass and spoke as he watched the candle on their table, "How about, To Friends, may we find strength in each other."

Fred and George both raised there glasses and said, "Here, here," in unison. Harry and Hermione followed suit, and they all knocked back their drinks.

"Wow Ron, that was," Harry started as he tried to balance himself, "Really, really well said. I, I think, that was the nicest thing I've ever heard you say. Maybe it's because…." Harry continued grinning like an idiot, which brought Hermione's thoughts directly back to the twins. She didn't need to listen to Harry chuckle as he told Ron that he said nice things because of Hermione's influence, or that Ron was one lucky wizard, to know that something was wrong. It had been some time since Harry had smiled like that. Fred and George had all they could manage to not fall over with laughter. They made a quick escape to the bar as Harry persisted with his rant, though completely unaware that anything was out of sorts. "….and by the way have I told you two what a great couple you make?" he said waving his hands about. Ron all the while was looking at Harry halfway between confused and amused. His best friends current state was a great improvement, Harry really needed to loosen up sometimes, but even Ron knew that something wasn't quite right.


	4. Hero

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Harry Potter or any characters or places in this story, they belong to JK Rowling. I am making no money from this story.

Chapter 4 Hero

He felt himself slipping away. All reality blurred, and his redemption was beyond all thought or knowledge. It was selfish, he knew, but if it was wrong to feel like that, then he didn't want to be right. It was almost amusing that he knew he didn't have any control now. For all the fighting, and struggling, he had always known somehow that he wasn't what everyone else saw. And Harry didn't really want to be what they wanted anymore. Mostly he just wanted to be left alone, take Ginny and leave it all behind. But in the end he knew he wouldn't, even if he could, it just wasn't in him. So he would endure, he had to. All of these thoughts struck him as amusing, for a reason past his comprehension. In fact everything he heard in the last few minutes struck him as very funny. And he burst out anew with laughter.

Ron stared over the rim of his glass as he drank. Harry was acting very odd. Whenever they stopped back at headquarters many of the Order had remarked upon how down Harry seemed, and had taken to asking Ron and Hermione of Harry's state. Indeed his mum was in such a state of worry over him, constantly fussing and fretting, that Ron wondered how Harry kept his sanity. They had all wished that he would loosen up a bit, or give them a smile, or just something real to let them know that he was ok. But aside from a grumbled "I'm fine," Harry gave no clue as to how he really felt. This new change in his disposition was entirely unexplained though. Ron considered that perhaps after so many years of pressure and pain, perhaps Harry really was cracking up.

With a pat on the back from his friend, Harry sat up with a start. He had been intently studying the liquid filled glass in front of him, all the while laughing, trying to understand what might possibly convince him to drink more of the fiery liquor. Ron gave him all the inspiration he needed. So he took the glass and raised it briefly to his friend and swallowed the drink quickly.

Hermione however was shrewdly observing the twins, who thought that they had made a successful escape. She got up from the table and told Ron that she would be right back, sliding her arm across his shoulders as she passed. Stepping up behind Fred and George at the bar as they were telling Tom another joke. When they turned they nearly spit out their drinks in surprise as they faced her.

"Damn Hermione don't sneak up on us like that!" exclaimed George.

"What did you two do to him?" she demanded impatiently, in a tone that could have rivaled their mother.

The twins looked at each other innocently, acting as if they had no idea what she was talking about. "What do you mean Hermione?" asked Fred in a honeyed voice.

She continued to glare at them, "You know exactly what I mean, don't play dumb with me. What did you do to Harry? And you had better tell me quick before I send for your mother." Her stiff tone told them that she wasn't playing around.

"Look," said George pulling her aside. "We just thought he needed to loosen up a little bit."

"Take a night off you know. It's completely harmless," continued Fred.

"Besides, we're all here watching over him, it's not like anything is going to happen to him," said Fred with half a smile. Hermione however was neither satisfied, nor deterred. She raised an eyebrow at them imperiously, pressing them to tell her. Finally they quelled, "Alright, alright, we'll tell you," he continued, swallowing hard.

"We just put a simple cheering charm on him when he wasn't looking. He won't even know it happened in a few hours, and he can certainly use a break from all that brooding," finished George.

Hermione looked even angrier than before though. Pulling them even further away from everyone she began her rant. "Do you two have any idea how serious this is?" she started in a dangerously low voice. "With all the baggage he has, idiots! A cheering charm can't just be used on a person who is feeling all the things he is. There is a reason it isn't used on a people who have experienced a lot of emotional trauma, it's dangerous. There have been cases where the person was permanently affected."

"So, big deal," cut in George.

"It might actually be good if Harry could smile more," said Fred indignantly.

"You brainless oafs!" she hissed. "It's not that simple. The effects aren't just that the person is happier, otherwise hospitals would use it all the time to cure depression. A cheering charm can cause such conflicting emotions that it can drive the person insane, or worse. The brain needs time to sort out emotions like he is feeling, forcing him to be happy, doesn't solve the problem, it only takes away his ability to cope with those feelings and understand what he is going through. It could do any number of things to him to make him face these things without control, lose his sanity, become more depressed, even turn him evil! And that's not to mention the fact that he is drinking like a fish over there," she pointed vehemently in Harry's direction. "I can't believe you two would do that to him. Think about how powerful he is as well. He might not be able to think things through rationally now, he could blow this whole place apart, thinking it was all a joke. You have three seconds to fix this before I turn the both of you into slugs."

Now that they understood why she was so upset they wasted no time in sneaking around behind Harry. While he was distracted, trying to convince Ron that Voldemort was going to South America for a vacation, they cast the counter charm and released Harry from his happiness.

Harry slumped back in his chair, feeling immediately the pressure of his life drop back onto his shoulders. For awhile there he had felt like he hadn't a care. If the whole world came crashing down around him he would have been just as content. That thought made his heart sink lower than it had been in nearly a year. He felt guilty about wanting to be free, when their were other people suffering. Slowly he placed his hands on his face and let his head fall back. All the pain, and remorse washed over him.

His friends watched him anxiously, even as his burden was renewed. What more did the world want from this young man who had already given so much of his life to protect them. _Hell,_ thought Ron, _he would give his life for them if he thought it could save even one person._ It was a thought that they all knew. It was part of the reality of who Harry was, selfless. Of course there were some in the world who would call it foolish, but anyone who knew him could only call it endearing. It was why people followed him, they could see that in him, and it made them want to be better, to be like him. Sure he could be brave when he needed to be, he had courage to spare. And he was smart when he tried; humble and resourceful, and fun, and a he was desperately ambitious. He was someone who wouldn't quit. Anyone who really knew him could tell you about all he had endured, so much, so that no one could question his fortitude and perseverance. But it was his love, and willingness to sacrifice himself that made him noble. It was why he was a hero.

After some time Harry lifted his head again. His eyes were stained red with the stress that he had fought. Looking around he saw that everyone had gone quiet. The somber fire reflected in their faces. "You know, I was thinking before about stories, and what kind of tale our lives would tell. Sometimes it feels like life is a book that some unknown person is reading. It has adventure, and love," he said as he looked at Ron and Hermione. Turning his gaze on Fred and George, before reflecting upon himself, "And there is mischief, and grief. Sometimes we find hope, or face evil and danger. But we also have to face each other. We have our family and friends, and all the small turns of life that fate, or whatever, has put in front of us. I wish I could skip ahead in the story and see what it all means, understand where each road leads and why. I wonder what the reader is getting from it all."

"Harry," Hermione said concernedly. She knew that part of this was coming from the aftereffects of the charm.

"I mean every story has some meaning, something that the writer wants the reader to discover. When this story ends what does the writer want us, or the reader to know. With all these people dieing, does it mean that we should live for right now?" Harry persisted.

"Well if that is it, then I want to stop reading now mate." Ron interjected. The others glared at him. "What?"

"No, Ron's right, if that's all there is to it, just right now, then I don't think I would finish reading either. I want there to be more than that, I want something to look forward to. I need a happy ending," Harry added.

"Maybe the message is that we have each other. That's something that has always helped us through the tough times." Ron wrapped his hand in Hermione's as she spoke. "That at least is a lesson with hope. We have each other to lean on, and that's worth a lot more than words Harry." The twins nodded their agreement.

"That is true, but are we all part of the same story?" Harry replied soberly. "I mean, I want to have your friendship, and hope, and a future. Sometimes it feels like I am all alone though, even when I'm sitting right next to you. I guess I just don't know. We've come to far to lose heart now, but it is hard to turn to the next page. Where does the story go from here, and what will it show us? " He sighed. He shook his head as if to clear out the dark thoughts. Harry smiled genuinely, as if his heart had opened itself to warm him, "Well whatever it is, I'm sticking around to make it a good ending, and I'm glad you guys will be with me when it comes."

"Perhaps," said Tom as he stepped up to their table, "You are meant to take away the things that you want. Learn what you will from the writers words and leave the rest for someone else. Each reader is different, as is each character, only you can decide what the story means to you. Bar's closing up kids, last call."


End file.
